Sunday, July 09, 2006
Desired Things
For many years I taught a scripture-based Seminary class to bleary-eyed high school students. The class began promptly at 6:30 AM each school day, so most of my pupils were only half-awake as I attempted to impress upon them the importance of Christian values in theory as well as practice.
In one assignment, I asked the students to write their personal creeds, to put in concrete terms what they believed, and how they would like to behave. For inspiration, I read to them the poem “Desiderata”, (translation: "desired things”) that I had heard as a song in my youth.
I was surprised, and a little disappointed, that the students either could not, or chose not to, think deeply about this assignment. Only a couple wrote a creed containing much more than a vague ramble of “being nice to everyone.”
Recently, as I ran on the city path, I thought about this experience in my Seminary class. At the beginning of one stretch of the path, and repeated again at the end, are four inlaid plaques every 15 yards or so. Sponsored by a service organization, each plaque confronts a runner or walker with a question by which to examine his life. As I ran that day, these mini desiderata appeared beneath my feet four times. I mused how anyone, from an innocent, young child, to a sleepy teenager, to a baby-boomer approaching middle age, could improve his life by adopting these questions as the sound basis for a personal creed. Here are the four questions:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Thoughts precede words which precede deeds. In the long run, if one conforms his thoughts, words, and deeds to the principles advocated by these four questions, he may successfully acquire the desired things in life.
In one assignment, I asked the students to write their personal creeds, to put in concrete terms what they believed, and how they would like to behave. For inspiration, I read to them the poem “Desiderata”, (translation: "desired things”) that I had heard as a song in my youth.
I was surprised, and a little disappointed, that the students either could not, or chose not to, think deeply about this assignment. Only a couple wrote a creed containing much more than a vague ramble of “being nice to everyone.”
Recently, as I ran on the city path, I thought about this experience in my Seminary class. At the beginning of one stretch of the path, and repeated again at the end, are four inlaid plaques every 15 yards or so. Sponsored by a service organization, each plaque confronts a runner or walker with a question by which to examine his life. As I ran that day, these mini desiderata appeared beneath my feet four times. I mused how anyone, from an innocent, young child, to a sleepy teenager, to a baby-boomer approaching middle age, could improve his life by adopting these questions as the sound basis for a personal creed. Here are the four questions:
Is it the truth?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Thoughts precede words which precede deeds. In the long run, if one conforms his thoughts, words, and deeds to the principles advocated by these four questions, he may successfully acquire the desired things in life.
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That's interesting that they have those inlaid along the path. Great idea. I should have had those inlaid into our front walk when they poured it, haha! I remember that song, and I often think of the words to it. There are many scripture - like truths to it. The ones I remember most -- "Do not compare yourself to others, or you will become vain or bitter - for there will always be those lesser or great than yourself." And another line something like "In as much as possible, without subjection, be on good terms with all people" and then "it's still a beautiful world, strive to be happy" oh, I can't remember it all. In addition to the scriptures, it's a nice piece of advice to give to your children. Here's a link if anyone is interested. http://www.psalm40.org/desidrta.html
If only I could bring my actions into conformity with my thoughts... I think I recently mentioned to you that I often find myself thinking of the quote, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." If I could follow through on even half of my good intentions, I would really be going somewhere in life. In the meantime, I guess I should search for inspiration on a good running path.
Of course the intention of these four question is good, but answering them requires an objective view which is hard, if not impossible, to achieve (for instance, I cannot tell what's the truth, although I'm not a liar). Not to mention the ability to look into the future (only after having done something, one can tell if it has been beneficial to others, and even then one can't always be sure). In my humble opinion these questions aren't very different from the creed 'being nice to everyone'.
What you say about the Rotary Creed might be true except for the fact that you totally ignore one's conscience, or spiritual sense. It is that inner light that allows a person to know if something is the truth, or how his behavior might affect others. It is also a gift that can be honed and enlarged. Intellectual analysis can go so far--but it is only a mechanical part of the makeup of man. It is the spiritual aspect that completes him, gives him a soul, and allows him to use both mind and heart to relate to others on a level that is more than "just being nice to everyone."
I don't deny conscience or feeling. It seems to me though as if the Rotary Creed is meant to somehow (undeservedly) 'intellectualize' one's conscience. I myself try to be nice to everyone, but why is it better, as you say, to first ask yourself questions about truth (which are themselves impossible to intellectually analyze)?
I mean, you think it's a little meagre to 'only' be nice to everyone, without a proper foundation, but one can say the same about the answers to the Rotary Creed. There is no foundation other than the 'spiritual sense', or one's conscience. And this very same conscience is the cause for me to be nice to everyone.
There's no need for the Rotary Creed.
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I mean, you think it's a little meagre to 'only' be nice to everyone, without a proper foundation, but one can say the same about the answers to the Rotary Creed. There is no foundation other than the 'spiritual sense', or one's conscience. And this very same conscience is the cause for me to be nice to everyone.
There's no need for the Rotary Creed.
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